Gale Virtual Reference Library delivers a wealth of eBook reference content in a database format, allowing libraries to choose exactly which titles to make available to their patrons. The sources that Gale Virtual Reference Library offers in eBook format include multi-volume encyclopedias, biographical collections, business plan handbooks, company history compilations, consumer health references, and specialized reference sources. Subjects covered include arts and humanities, biography and genealogy, business and industries, general and consumer interests, government and political science, health and medicine, law, science and technology, and social sciences. In addition to titles available from Gale, your library's collection may also contain content from other publishers, including John Wiley & Sons, SAGE Reference, Cambridge University Press and the Credo Reference collection. You can display the list of sources that make up your library's collection by clicking the Title List link.
With Gale Virtual Reference Library, you can search respected authoritative essays on a variety of topics at any time. You can even access the collection remotely (as determined by your library or institution) so that you no longer need to be on the premises or worry about checkout procedures to use reference materials. Depending on your library's setup, you may be able to link to reference content through your library's Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) or directly from the Table of Contents or Index page of a specific eBook.
| Note: With Gale Virtual Reference Library, your library has the ability to purchase eBooks individually from a collection of more than 1000 reference sources from multiple publishers, so what you find in one library's collection may differ from what you find in another library. Performing the same search query using the collections of two libraries may produce different results, depending on which sources were bought for each collection. |
The remainder of this page is divided into the following sections:
Gale Virtual Reference Library gives you the power to search a single eBook or multiple eBooks at once. You may browse a list of all eBook reference sources in your library's collection and select additional titles to add to your search query. You can even view an eBook without performing a search.
| Note: Your library may have other eBooks available through a different interface which are not be searchable through Gale Virtual Reference Library. |
When it comes to searching, you have many search options:
| To find... | Select... |
|---|---|
| Entire eBooks by broad subject headings | A publication from the Basic Search page |
| Documents by title | Basic Search(and select the Document title option)or, use Advanced Searchusing the "Document title" index, alone or in combination with other indexes |
| Documents by searching against key fields | Basic Search(and select the Keyword option) |
| Documents by searching all text, including key fields | Basic Search(and select the Entire document option) |
| Documents by building as simple or as complex a search expression as you want using any of several indexes, alone or in combination and with optional search limiters | Advanced Search or CCL Advanced Search |
In addition you can search for dictionary definitions of words or terms using the Dictionary link from the toolbar.
Your library may offer additional content from Credo Reference, which provides quick reference to dictionaries, thesauri, books of famous quotations, guides, atlases, fine art collections, and fact books. Follow the Credo Reference link within Gale Virtual Reference Library to see results for your search query.
Results are delivered at the article level (not a page at a time) in an HTML-based text and graphics format that's designed for speedy display and easy readability. You can sort your Gale Virtual Reference Library search results by document title, publication date, publication title or by relevance. And you can set your session preferences so that search terms are highlighted so you find text quickly.
Besides the content of a book, you can also navigate the eBook's hyperlinked eTable of Contents and eBook Index. Clicking the publication title takes you to the About this Publication page with a cover photo and a brief description of the eBook. If the eBook has illustrations, an electronically generated List of Illustrations for the eBook is also provided. The illustration captions are linked to the eBook article so you can view the images with ease.
No doubt you'll find many documents that meet your research needs. You have at your fingertips these easy-to-use ways to help you make the most of the information you find:
Your research needs may lead you to seek out alternate formats of the documents you find. Or you may wish to search for other related resources. Once again, the online products of Gale provide the assistance you need by offering links to:
| Note: Some of these additional retrieval options must first be enabled by your library. |
Using PowerSearch this database collection is cross-searchable with premier periodical databases (such as General OneFile, General Reference Center, and many others) and, where available, other Gale electronic products such as Student Resource Center. Your library must first enable the cross-search feature. The list of databases available to cross-search depends on your library's subscription.
From beginning your search, to viewing results, to selecting documents, Gale makes navigation easy with a standard banner that appears at the top of most pages. In the uppermost right-hand corner you may find a link to your library's home page (if enabled by your library). Below that on the title bar you'll find general session links, such as setting preferences or logging out.
Below the title bar is a one-stop toolbar featuring links to help you manage your search results with tools such as Bookmarks and Marked Items. You'll also find handy links such as Previous Searches, Dictionary, and a link to the Title List of sources used in this collection.
Under the toolbar you'll find the search path bar, where you can access the available search pages to begin a new search.
For more product information, use the footer links found at the bottom of most pages.
For a guided tour of Gale Virtual Reference Library and a list of titles for purchase, please visit www.gale.cengage.com/gvrl.
Librarians interested in finding out how to set up and maintain their eBook subcollections can go to the following online tour for more information: http://www.gale.cengage.com/gvrl/subcollections.pdf.